A fencer in DnD

After some searching and tweaking, I found something that I do believe will make a fair swordsman, Pirates-style. So far he is only a lvl 1 character, but I'll show him as is, and then write a little about my thoughts on how to progress him. The idea is an agile, tricky fencer that wins through cunning and speed over power. He may be a bit on the dark side as well, more pirate than musketeer.

Nagea Hamden
Human Swashbuckler 1
Str: 10/+0
Dex: 16/+3
Con: 10/+0
Int: 14/+2
Wis: 14/+2
Cha: 10/+0

For: +2; Ref: +3; Will: +2
HP: 10
AC: 15 (Touch: 13, Flat-Foot: 12)
BAB: +1 Melee: +1 Range: +4

Feats:
Proficient Light Armor, Proficient with simple and martial weapons,
Weapon Finesse (From swashbuckler), Combat Expertise, Deadly Defense

The last one is from Complete Scoundrel, and gives an additional +1D6 damage when fighting defensivly OR when using Combat Expertise to give yourself at least a +2 to AC (and hence, -2 to attack)

His skills are fairly standard. He put maximum skillpoints into tumble, jump, bluff, climb, sense motive, use rope, balance, climb. His bluff will come in handy when trying to feint, and tumble is always nice for moving around the scene of combat.

He is using a rapier as a weapon (+4 ,1D6, 18-20/x2).

The plan is to multiclass him swashbuckler/ rogue. The main thing with the rogue is the sneak attack. In a couple of levels there are a couple of nice feats to get (and, not having the books here, I cannot remember their names). One lets you add your sneak attack damage in case of a critical hit, which is nice. Especially if you are using a rapier (threat range 18-20) and then make it keen (making the threat range 15-20).

Other nice feats to choose from is one that lets you stack you levels in Swashbuckler and Rogue when you are calculating things like sneak attack damage or the Grace feat.

So, while not a fighter (in my view still the most effective character to start with. Str 18, Greatsword, power attack and weapon focus. All of a sudden you are dealing damage in the 10-20 range as a level 1 character, which is quite good), he is still a competent character. Hard to hit, and capable of dealing some damage on his own. There are a couple of ways for him to go higher up. Want him to be a defensive fighter that is dangerous to approach: Give him combat reflexes and the feat that gives +4 to all AoO. (also from Complete Scoundrel). Or go a slighly darker way, where you are using your sneak attack to give bleeding wounds, for instance.

As said, there are some variations on this character, but all in all, it is possible to make a decent fencer that can hold his own and deal some damage.

The McWolfe Statement (ver 0.1)

I want my RPG to be smooth. It doesn't have to be rules light, but it should be smooth.

The rules of my RPG should reflect the setting.

There should be an official way to play that game.

The rules should follow that way

Characters should be built to fit into that way

There should be a framework in the game that follows that way.

It should be possible to break out of that framework

This framework should help me prepare modules in a rather short time if I wanted

It should be possible to create a simple character that has room to grow as the storied unfold.

The game should be based on situational stories.

Those situations should have a connection to the rules and how characters are designed.

Character design should be by guidelines or via random rolls. Not point based.

The garden of the mind

They say I enjoy watching other people suffer!

They are wrong!

They say that I enjoy watching my students agony on their faces when they are doing their exames.

And still, they are wrong.

It is true that I often try to be present during exams. Especially on exams on interesting and challenging subjects. What no one suspects, is the reason for this preference.

Many years ago, I became something more than a man. Something within me woke up. Lacking a better word, I could say I suddenly discovered my soul. I always believed in science, always believed that we our minds where minds of reason, but I was wrong. Now I know better.

Through a strange series of events, many of which I can't explain even today, my mind was opened wide to the world. Or rather.. the world was opened wide to my soul.

To me, everyone is an open book. I can see other peoples minds, and if I want to, let my mind invade theirs. I usually try to avoid the latter, since I am a firm believer in our free will. The first one, on the other hand.

Walking around a room full of students writing their exams. Their minds form vast gardens that fill the room. When they are writing essays, I can see their creativity flow around in the room, creating fireworks, deep jungles and rich imagery. When they are doing mathemathics, the room fills with structures, angles and equations that take the shape of brilliant gems and complex puzzles.

This is why I enjoy being there. Not to see my students torment, but their brilliance

Magetrix

My experience with the new Mage so far is that it can be percieved as a kind of matrix light with occult or supernatural styles.

Mages stand with one foot on each side. One foot is in the real world, the other one is in the supernatural world.

Also, they live in a world that by its very nature is against them. All other persons pose a threat to them.

On another note, just as Neo percieves the world as the matrix, mages can percieve the world different than normal people, depending on their style, path and abilities.

For instance, a mage that has the space arcanum, actually can see it as he is at all places at the same time. He basically moves around in a sea of places. A mage with the mind arcanum can see the the minds of other peoples as a landscape or collection of images or objects. These can be read, and even manipulated depending on the skill of the mage.

Super heroic rpg

This is a rough basic idea for a super heroic rpg-system.

Many times it seems like superheroes and villains posses some kind of overarching power-level. This power-level is some kind of energy/stamina/strength reserve that is used in conflicts and the like.

Would this be possible to use in an rpg?

My initial idea is to give all characters a power-level, and then let them channel that power through differen means, like super strength, speed, energy control and the like.

.. to be continued.